Antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognised as a global health and economic threat that risks undermining commitments to achieving the UN Sustainability Goals (SDG). 

Here you can find out more about the RCN’s approach to AMR and the work we are doing to support nursing and healthcare professionals.

AMR places extreme pressure on the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections potentially returning modern medicine to a pre-antibiotic era. Nursing has a key role in supporting efforts to reduce this threat as a central part of the healthcare and public health workforce. The work of the RCN is diverse to reflect the different ways in which nursing contributes within the UK and internationally to this global threat. 

Current RCN activity on AMR 

The nursing and midwifery contribution to antimicrobial stewardship (AMS)

The RCN is proud to have contributed to the development of a competency framework to support antimicrobial stewardship and is shaping its current and future activity around the six domains of practice in association with higher education institutes (HEIs). Led by Cardiff University the competencies provide a holistic approach to support education of nursing and other healthcare professionals on this most important topic. The six domains are:

• infection prevention and control
• antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance
• the diagnosis of infection and use of antibiotics
• antimicrobial prescribing practice
• person centred care and
• interprofessional collaborative practice.

How to use the competencies

Although the competencies are aimed particularly at the education of students, they provide a structured approach to education to support those already working in the roles of link nurses/practitioners, ward/dept managers, GP practice IPC leads, Infection Control managers and Nursing home IPC leads. Read more about the Antimicrobial stewardship competency framework competencies.

In addition to the strategic work described in the current work section the RCN is also currently engaged in the following:

• Delivering the RCN IPC education programme, which uses the AMS competencies as a framework for learning.
• Representing nursing and nurses as part of the UK Diagnostic collaborative.
• Providing scientific advice to support the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) AMR contribution to policy development within the EU.
• Membership of English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR).
• Annual European Antibiotic Awareness day activity.
• Participation in research led by the University of Waterloo on interventions to sustainably mitigate AMR in the future.

Previous activity

The RCN approach to AMR is to work to prevent a silo attitude to its association with infection prevention and control and to embed it within a range of RCN resources that support nursing practice in a variety of care settings.

• Delivered a one day workshop on urinary tract infection diagnostics in support of the Longitude prize with NESTA
• Participation in research led by the University of Waterloo on interventions to sustainably mitigate AMR in the future (completed 2022)
• Submission of written evidence as part of the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee. Antimicrobial resistance Eleventh Report of Session 2017–19. 
• Revision of the RCN guidance on catheter care led by the RCN Continence Forum to support UK wide ambitions to reduce blood stream infections caused by multi-resistant gram negative bacteria such as E. coli.